All about Swim With Me!

Why do we exist?

Swim With Me! is a community-based foundation that provides swimming lessons to at-risk children and youth, including newcomers to Canada, who are among the most vulnerable to drowning.  We teach water safety to people to reduce their risk of drowning in Winnipeg’s pools and rivers and in Manitoba’s lakes.

Swim With Me! was started out of a need in the community. Each year, we learn that more and more people are losing their lives to water-related deaths:

• Manitoba has one of the highest rates of drowning in Canada per capita

• More people drown in Manitoba each year than die from impaired driving

• Newcomers to Canada are 4 times more likely to drown than people born in Canada
  (Canadian Drowning Report - 2016 Edition, Lifesaving Society)

Swim With me! has been formed out of the need to get the most vulnerable groups – those who do not have access, those who are new to our country and those who simply can’t afford the price tag – into the water safely.  

What do we do?

Swim With Me! Foundation teaches swimming and water safety to children, who have been referred to us by an agency, school or community organization.  We teach people of all ages in 8-week sessions, three times per year. Each participant receives lessons, a towel, a swim bag, shampoo, and a snack.

Where do we teach?

 Aqua Essence - 4-1585 Kenaston Blvd.

How do we access the program?

Please download and fill out or program form here, or got to our contact us page.

Meet our wonderful team!

Swim With Me! Foundation

Rishona Hyman - Founder

Rishona Hyman, MA, MSW, is the founder of the Swim With Me! Foundation. She is the owner and founder of Aqua Essence Swim Academy, which she started 16 years ago in response to the demand she saw in her community for high quality swimming lessons. Today, Aqua Essence is a one-stop business for swimming, lifesaving, first aid, babysitting, and leadership courses. Prior to the full-time swimming business, Rishona worked in the area of mental health for 12 years in both the non-profit and private sectors. Rishona has always loved the water and the benefits that come from being in and around water. Rishona volunteers on a number of other non-profit boards and various committees, and is the president of the parent council at her children’s school.

Olya Vrublevsky - Director

Olya Vrublevsky, CFRE, has a strong passion for community development and a true commitment to water safety. Her dedication to fostering inclusive and impactful programs helps ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn essential life skills in a safe and supportive environment. Inspired by Foundation’s mission, she is thrilled to provide accessible swimming education and promote wellness in underserved communities. Olya volunteers at many community organizations and is a member of other non-profit Boards. Proud mother of three children, she enjoys warm summer days and beautiful sunsets that Manitoba is famous for.

Board Members

Cristina Patterson is a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy and the University of Manitoba, where she earned a Bachelor of Commerce Honors degree in finance. She has lived and worked in Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary and St. Louis. She started her own bookkeeping business in 2005 and has a diverse, international client base. She has served as treasurer on a few non-profit organizations and enjoys volunteering her time. She is the proud mother of her four children.

Adam Dooley began his career as a journalist before transitioning to public relations. He has served in executive positions and founded and ran Manitoba's premier public relations agency until selling it in 2022. Over the past three decades, he has served in a range of senior volunteer positions in the community including on committees of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and as the President of the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association. He holds a Honours BA in History from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master's in Journalism from Western University. He is father to two fantastic young men. And he's immensely proud to be helping the Swim With Me! Foundation reduce the number of drownings in Canada.  

Kevin Tordiffe has worked in the lifeguarding and drowning prevention industries for over 30 years. His background includes operations of large beach lifeguard programs, not-for-profit governance and advocacy in drowning prevention. Kevin currently works for the Manitoba Government in the department of health, lives and plays in rural Manitoba with his family and dog. Drowning prevention has been a passion of Kevin’s and any meaningful attempt to reducing drowning relies on access to swimming education. That is why the mission of Swim With Me! is so important in Manitoba, help new Canadians and those in need access quality swimming education.

Our Beliefs

Swimming and water safety are important life skills and should be accessible to everyone. Knowing how to swim safely should not be a privilege; it should be a fundamental right of every person in Canada.

Our Vision

Every person in Canada knows the joy of playing and swimming safely in our beautiful and diverse waters.

Our Mission

Swim with Me! is a national leader working to prevent drowning through swimming lessons and water safety education and by promoting swimming and lifesaving skills.

We say a big THANK YOU to…

Red River College – Creative Communication program
through which we accessed the skill and time of a senior student who guided our initial communication and marketing materials, and our online presence.

Amanda Le Rougetel,
who helped us shape our key messaging
and our website content.

Trista Lachuta-Henzel,
who embraced our vision through the  creation of our visual identity, and put
the final touches to our website.